PFC Chapter 4036 MU Superbody Major Event (116)
Chapter 4036 MU Superbody Major Event (116)
Chapter 4036 MU: The Superbody Incident (116)
In a cramped, dark hotel on the far side of an unnamed moon of Centaurus, Constantine lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, or more accurately, a wanted poster. It was covered in alien script that looked like earthworms. But that didn't prevent him from reading it, because Doctor Strange's headshot was printed right in the center of the poster.
"Looks like he succeeded. That's good, saves me the trouble of making an extra trip," Constantine said somewhat indistinctly, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "But this guy probably looks just like the Sorcerer Supreme of this universe. Who would dare to issue a warrant for the Sorcerer Supreme's arrest?"
"Isn't this a coincidence? Thanos, an important official of the Interstellar Security Council, just recently reclaimed his legitimate territory."
Constantine turned to look at the figure in the corner. The man was dressed in a suit and tie, looking every bit the human elite, but his goat hooves and horns betrayed his identity.
“Thanos…” Constantine murmured the name. He sat at the table, propping his head up with one finger, searching for something on the old terminal in his hand.
“I see,” Constantine said, looking at the information displayed above. “This guy has probably never given up on his ambitions for Earth. Now that he finally has an opportunity to affect the reputation of the Sorcerer Supreme, he probably can’t wait.”
"What are you going to do?"
"Let's go to the crime scene first."
Constantine stood up.
The collector resides in the star system of Cygnus X-1, a compact star, which is a black hole. What makes this black hole special is that it constantly rotates at 95% of the speed of light. This is the fastest rotating black hole discovered by humans to date.
However, X-1 is still a binary system. Besides the compact star, there is also a blue giant star. The blue giant has a mass approximately 20 to 40 times that of the Sun, while the compact star has a mass of about 21 times that of the Sun. The collector's museum is located on the blue giant.
Blue giants may appear cold and icy, but they represent a stage in stellar evolution. Their surface temperatures are extremely high, and due to their immense mass, their capture range is ridiculously large. Ordinary people simply cannot approach them.
Moreover, there's a deadly black hole nearby. This is clearly a bodyguard hired by the collector for his museum. Such an unusual celestial body, with its unusual shape and rotation speed, is something that most civilizations' fleets wouldn't dare approach; they'd simply detour around it.
Furthermore, this binary star system is an extremely powerful X-ray source, essentially a natural, intense radiation field. Even carbon-based life forms with relatively strong physical constitutions wouldn't be able to withstand such radiation for long. The Protoss are probably the only beings completely immune to this type of powerful radiation.
In short, the conditions here are perfect: the right time, the right place, and the right people. The natural environment is so harsh that no one would even consider invading, and the collector himself is no pushover. The Elder of the Universe is practically immortal, so almost no one dares to provoke him.
But what a coincidence! There just happened to be a Doctor Strange who was delusional and possessed magical powers, completely immune to the threats of nature. He wasn't there to kill the collector; he was there to rob him. The collector was utterly helpless, and most of his collection was looted. These were treasures he had accumulated over tens of thousands of years.
Now, news of this has spread throughout interstellar society. The Interstellar Security Council has issued an arrest warrant, and has specifically emphasized that although the two look alike, the Sorcerer Supreme of this universe and the perpetrator, Doctor Strange, are not the same person.
This wanted poster looks suspiciously like a blatant attempt to cover something up. Most people who see it will think that even if it's not the same person, it's at least a counterpart. The Sorcerer Supreme can't control his counterpart, allowing him to wreak havoc on the universe—isn't that also tantamount to embezzlement?
Constantine floated on the edge of the radiation zone, frowning as he looked at the dazzling blue giant star. Even from this distance, he could sense the lingering magical energy there—violent, chaotic, and extremely aggressive.
"Has Doctor Strange gone mad?" he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He observed from outside for a while, then took out a red powder from the box. The powder, once poured out, quickly drifted in one direction. Constantine flew in that direction as well.
Only upon closer inspection of the blue giant star does one discover a hidden world within. A star that appears to be a supergiant has a habitable surface. The planet should have had an outer shield, but it seems to have been breached. The magical traces appear to have been left during an attack on that shield.
“Something’s not right,” Constantine said. “Doctor Strange really has the ability to break through this planet’s shield with a single blow? If not, why doesn’t this guy called the Collector call his companions while the situation is at a stalemate?”
But Constantine jumped in anyway, landing slowly on the surface. The collector's treasure trove wasn't on the surface, but underground. Constantine lost patience with finding his way. He put away the red powder, then took out some soil and placed it at his feet. The previously inanimate soil suddenly churned and engulfed him.
Emerging from the mud once more, Constantine found himself in a magnificent palace. Looking around, he saw no signs of damage; it remained grand, solemn, and pristine.
Continuing further in, there was a large, pointed gate inlaid with gems that Constantine couldn't name. He couldn't help but scoff, "With so many valuable things inlaid on the gate, who else would they rob if not you? It's a miracle that it hasn't been robbed yet."
“The Elders of the Universe have a very peculiar position,” Constantine said as he watched the horned figure stand atop the door he had opened, walking like a tightrope. “Those who covet their treasures can’t defeat them, and those who can defeat them look down on this pile of junk. Moreover, they are immortal; if you offend them, be prepared to be hunted down for the rest of your life.”
"Never to die?"
"Yes. They made a bet with death back then, and because of the bet, the realm of death wouldn't accept them. Even if they died, they would be resurrected immediately. You could call them cosmic cockroaches."
Constantine made a disgusted face, then peered through the crack in the door. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he heard a blood-curdling scream.
"what!!!!"
It was less a scream and more a wail. Constantine squeezed through the narrow crack in the door and found it resembled a study. It resembled one because most of it had collapsed. The shelves lying on the floor looked like bookshelves, but could also have been display shelves. But the most striking thing was the white-bearded old man sitting on the floor, howling like a madman.
Upon noticing someone approaching, the other person's screams abruptly stopped, and they jumped up, glaring at Constantine with wide eyes, saying, "Who are you? Are you here to steal my treasure too?!"
Constantine sized him up. He wore a long green robe with mysterious patterns on a wide belt. He was almost bald, but had a long white beard. He was considerably taller and stronger than Constantine. His appearance was indistinguishable from a human's.
"Do you still have any treasures to steal?" Constantine's words were a direct stab to the heart. The old man froze on the spot.
Seeing that he was about to start wailing again, Constantine quickly reached out a hand to interrupt him and said, "To be honest, I'm here to track down the murderer. My employer is his enemy. Tell me about your situation first."
The white-bearded old man wiped his face, sighed deeply, and spread his hands, saying, "What else could it be? That's it. That guy who looks exactly like the Sorcerer Supreme rushed in and stole everything here!"
"Wait a minute. You don't think he's the Sorcerer Supreme, do you?"
“No, that’s not it,” the white-bearded old man shook his head and said, “The magical energy he used was very similar to that of the Sorcerer Supreme, but there were subtle differences. I could sense them. I thought he was faking it, so I reinforced my defenses. I didn’t expect this guy to go crazy and break through the shield directly.”
"You can't beat him?"
“Of course I can’t beat him. I’m not good at fighting at all.” He sighed again, sat down on the spot, and said, “I couldn’t even stop him. I could only watch helplessly as he took my treasure.”
"What did he steal?"
"Of course, it's my most precious treasure!" the white-bearded old man shouted. "This is my treasure trove! It's full of rare items that aren't usually on display, and he just snatched them all away!!!"
Constantine looked around. In some hidden corners of the room, there were still some artifacts left behind. Some of them emitted truly astonishing energy fluctuations. They certainly seemed to be valuable items.
Constantine hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Do you know about the Infinity Stones?"
"Infinity Stones? Of course I know about them. I had one too, but that guy stole it from me."
"You have the Infinity Stones, how could he have stolen them?"
The white-bearded old man looked bewildered. After a long while, he reacted and said, "You wouldn't happen to be one of those people who believe in the legend of the Infinity Stones, would you? That's just a rumor. This stone has been with me for quite some time now, and I've already studied it. That stone is completely unusable."
Constantine frowned, glancing involuntarily at the corner of the room. A figure in the corner nodded at him.
"You can't use the gems?"
"Yes. And I didn't see any special power in that gem. You're not suggesting that the weirdo who looks like the Sorcerer Supreme is after the Infinity Stones, are you?"
“I’m afraid so.” Constantine nodded.
The white-bearded old man let out another wail. Slapping his thigh, he shouted, "Why didn't he just say so nicely? I could have just given it to him! That thing is useless to me! Why did he have to steal everything?!"
Constantine also sensed something was amiss. Logically, Doctor Strange could easily impersonate the Sorcerer Supreme. They looked identical, and although their powers differed slightly, most people wouldn't notice unless they made a move.
He impersonated the Sorcerer Supreme, asking to borrow the Infinity Stones; the Collector would most likely have lent them. Even if the Collector refused, it wouldn't have been too late to act then. Why did he immediately break through the shield with brute force and then forcibly seize them?
A key issue here is that Doctor Strange comes from another universe. He doesn't carry much energy with him, and replenishing it in this universe is quite difficult. Therefore, he should be more inclined to conserve energy rather than squander it like this. Even if he completely loses his mind, a sorcerer accustomed to poverty would instinctively conserve energy; how could he be so wasteful?
Constantine was puzzled. Just as he was pondering this, the door behind him suddenly creaked open again. He whirled around and saw a man in a blue windbreaker walk in. The man took off his hat, revealing a face exactly like Mephisto's.